Keel-laying ceremony to be held in Louisiana for new ocean research ship

Media are invited to attend the keel-laying ceremony for a new oceanographic research ship being built for NOAA by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC, in Houma, Louisiana. The ship, Discoverer, will support a wide variety of missions, ranging from general oceanographic research and exploration to studies of marine life, climate and ocean ecosystems. 

WHAT 

Keel-laying ceremony for new NOAA oceanographic research ship

WHEN

Friday, October 28
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CDT

WHO

• Second Gentleman Douglas C. Emhoff, ship sponsor
• Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator
• Rear Adm. Chad Cary, deputy director, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
• Walter Thomassie, managing director, Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC

WHERE

Barry P. Bonvillain Civic Center
346 Civic Center Blvd.
Houma, LA 70360

Media interested in attending the ceremony are asked to RSVP here offsite link.

BACKGROUND

Discoverer is the second of two new ships being built for NOAA by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC. The 244-foot ship will support a wide variety of missions, ranging from oceanographic research and exploration to studying marine life, climate and ocean ecosystems. Discoverer and its sister ship, Oceanographer, will incorporate the latest technologies, including vessel emission controls and high-efficiency diesel engines.

Discoverer will be homeported in Newport, Rhode Island. The ship is expected to join the NOAA fleet in 2026 and will support ocean research, exploration and the development of new marine technologies to increase our understanding of the ocean and how it affects us all.

During the ceremony, the signature of the ship’s sponsor, Second Gentleman Douglas C. Emhoff, will be welded onto a steel plate that will be incorporated into the ship during construction.